scholarly journals Extracellular accumulation of proline, serine and trehalose in the haemolymph of osmoconforming brackish-water mosquitoes

1987 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Garrett ◽  
T. J. Bradley

Larvae of Culex tarsalis, a mosquito, are capable of surviving and developing in dilutions of sea water ranging from 0 mosmol l-1 to 700 mosmol l-1. In waters more dilute than 400 mosmol l-1, the larvae osmoregulate, whereas in those more concentrated than 400 mosmol l-1, the osmotic strength of the haemolymph parallels that of the medium, i.e. the larvae osmoconform. Over the full range of external concentrations tested, the larvae regulate the levels of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Cl- in the haemolymph. Analyses of haemolymph samples from larvae adapted to media of 50 mosmol l-1 or 600 mosmol l-1 indicate that the increase in haemolymph osmotic concentration observed in media above 400 mosmol l-1 is due to the accumulation of organic compounds, particularly proline, serine and trehalose.

1984 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Garrett ◽  
T. J. Bradley

Larvae of Culiseta inornata (Williston) can survive and complete development in dilutions of sea water ranging from 50–700 mosmol kg-1. The larvae hyperregulate with regard to haemolymph osmotic concentration in dilute media (50–400 mosmol kg-1) and osmoconform when external salinities exceed 400 mosmol kg-1. This pattern of osmoregulation is distinct from that observed in freshwater and saline-water mosquito species. We propose that mosquitoes exhibiting this osmoregulatory pattern should be described as ‘brackish-water’ species. Larvae of Culiseta inornata are able closely to regulate both sodium and chloride ion concentrations in the haemolymph over the full range of salinities tested (50–750 mosmol kg-1). The Malpighian tubules produce an isosmotic, potassium-rich fluid. In vitro and in vivo sampling of rectal fluids demonstrates that rectal secretions are isosmotic or only slightly hyperosmotic to the haemolymph and the surrounding saline media, and that they are isotonic with regard to sodium.


Author(s):  
Raveesha P ◽  
K. E. Prakash ◽  
B. T. Suresh Babu

The salt water mixes with fresh water and forms brackish water. The brackish water contains some quantity of salt, but not equal to sea water. Salinity determines the geographic distribution of the number of marshes found in estuary. Hence salinity is a very important environmental factor in estuary system. Sand is one major natural aggregate, required in construction industry mainly for the manufacture of concrete. The availability of good river sand is reduced due to salinity. The quality of sand available from estuarine regions is adversely affected due to this reason. It is the responsibility of engineers to check the quality of sand and its strength parameters before using it for any construction purpose. Presence of salt content in natural aggregates or manufactured aggregates is the cause for corrosion in steel. In this study the amount of salinity present in estuary sand was determined. Three different methods were used to determine the salinity in different seasonal variations. The sand sample collected nearer to the sea was found to be high in salinity in all methods.  It can be concluded that care should be taken before we use estuary sand as a construction material due to the presence of salinity.


1970 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-443
Author(s):  
C. R. FLETCHER

1. Nereis diversicolor tolerates changes in the concentration of calcium and magnesium in its coelomic fluid proportional to the concentrations in the medium between chlorosities of 100-1000 mM/kg of water. 2. In lower salinities both ions are maintained relatively constant providing that the ratios of these ions to chloride in the medium are similar to the ratios in sea water. 3. The ratio of the concentration of calcium in the coelomic fluid to the concentration in the medium is a function of the salinity of the medium but not of the calcium concentration. 4. Both calcium and magnesium are at lower electrochemical potentials in the coelomic fluid than in the medium, indicating that it is not necessary to invoke active uptake. 5. The rate of calcium influx is substantial. 6. In salinities below to mM of chloride/kg of water the urine must contain less calcium than the coelomic fluid. 7. The significance of these results is discussed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (22) ◽  
pp. 3369-3379 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Delorenzi ◽  
B. Dimant ◽  
L. Frenkel ◽  
V.E. Nahmod ◽  
D.R. Nassel ◽  
...  

Previous work on the brackish-water crab Chasmagnathus granulatus demonstrated that an endogenous peptide similar to angiotensin II plays a significant role in enhancing long-term memory that involves an association between context and an iterative danger stimulus (context-signal memory). The present results show that this memory enhancement could be produced by moving crabs from brackish water to sea water (33.0%) and keeping them there for at least 4 days. The possibility that such a facilitatory effect is due to osmotic stress is ruled out. Coincidentally, the level of angiotensin-II-like peptides in crab brain, measured by radioimmunoassay, increases with the length of exposure to sea water, reaching a significantly different level at the fourth day. The presence of angiotensin-II-like immunoreactive material in neural structures of the supraoesophageal and eyestalk ganglia was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. The results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that exposure to water of high salinity is an external cue triggering a process mediated by angiotensins that leads to enhanced memory in these crabs.


1977 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
T. J. Bradley ◽  
J. E. Phillips

1. The drinking rate of the saline-water mosquito larva Aedes taeniorhyncus (100 nl.mg-1.h-1) is unaffected by the salinity of the external medium, but is directly proportional to the surface area of the animal. 2. Haemolymph Na+, Mg2+, K+, Cl-, SO42- and osmotic concentrations were measured in larvae adapted to 10%, 100% and 200% seawater and were found to be regulated within a narrow range. 3. With the exception of potassium, ionic concentrations in rectal secretion were found to increase with increasing concentrations of the sea water in which larvae were reared. 4. The osmotic concentration of rectal secretion was unaffected by changes in haemolymph osmotic concentration but did rise when sodium or chloride concentrations of the haemolymph were increased. High levels of these ions also stimulated the rate of fluid secretion. 5. Transport of chloride and sodium by the rectum exhibits the kinetics of allosteric rather than classical enzymes.


Author(s):  
G. W. Bryan

The relationship between the ability of brackish water invertebrates to regulate Na and K and the extent to which the radioactive fission product 137Cs can be accumulated has been studied.The brackish water isopod Sphaeroma hookeri and the gastropod Potamopyrgus jenkinsi have been acclimatised to a wide range of sea-water dilutions. Unfed Sphaeroma can survive in sea-water concentrations of 100–2·5%, while Potamopyrgus can live fairly indefinitely in concentrations of 50–0·1%. Measurements of Na and K in the whole animals of both species and in the blood of Sphaeroma have been made. Salt movements are quite rapid and acclimatization to new media is achieved by both species in less than 10 h. Concentration factors for inactive K in particular increase to high values in the more dilute media.Uptake of the isotopes 42K and 137Cs from solution has been examined in both species over a range of sea-water concentrations. All of the body K is exchangeable with 42K and in Sphaeroma exchange of 42K between the blood and tissues is so rapid that the body surface appears to be the limiting factor in the uptake of the isotope. Both species exchange 42K more rapidly in the higher concentrations of sea water and one reason for this may be the existence of an exchange diffusion component of exchange which increases as the salinity of the medium is raised. Indirect evidence suggests that the excretion of 42K in urine is probably not an important factor in exchange.


1962 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
KNUT SCHMIDT-NIELSEN ◽  
PING LEE

1. A study has been made of kidney function in the crab-eating frog, Rana cancrivora, of south-east Asia. 2. This frog can live in full-strength sea water; in such concentrated media its blood is slightly hypertonic to the medium, and a considerable part of the osmotic concentration is due to urea. 3. In concentrated media the excretion of urea is greatly diminished. This is not due to active tubular reabsorption of urea, but primarily to a low urine flow caused by increased tubular reabsorption of water and reduced glomerular filtration. 4. In concentrated media, as compared with dilute media, only a few percent of the filtered urea appears in the urine. 5. Osmoregulation of the crab-eating frog in sea water resembles that of elasmobranchs except in that there is no evidence of active tubular reabsorption of urea in the frog.


1968 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-193
Author(s):  
MALCOLM S. GORDON ◽  
VANCE A. TUCKER

1. Total rates of urea loss from adult euryhaline crab-eating frogs (Rana cancrivora) adapted to various environmental salinities between fresh water and 80 % sea water increase as salinity increases above 40% sea water. Oxygen consumption is constant in rate in all salinities studied. 2. The presence of urea in the Ringer solution bathing isolated pieces of skin of frogs adapted to 60% sea water increases both the electrical potential and the inwardly directed short-circuit current across the skin. 3. In skeletal muscle cells addition of intracellular solutes maintains tissue hydration in the face of large increases in plasma osmotic concentration in high-salinity media. Changes in the intracellular urea and free amino acid concentrations are primarily responsible for increases in intracellular osmotic concentration. 4. Some implications of these observations are discussed and comparisons made with the euryhaline green toad, Bufo viridis.


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